How do I use Quick Compare?

altidude · Post by **altidude** » 02 Jul 2008 21:52

A new feature in 7.30 is Quick File Compare. Check out with a single click whether two files are same or different. How do I use this feature?

Thanks!

Post by **serendipity** » 02 Jul 2008 22:02

Hi and Welcome to XYplorer,

Say you want to compare two files, A.txt and B.txt.
1. Select A.txt and use keyboard shortcut ctrl+p
2. Select B.txt and go to menu item "Edit > Compare" and click "Compare current file with ....".

This is a very basic feature and a more advanced feature for comparing files will come later.

Post by **admin** » 02 Jul 2008 22:09

serendipity wrote:Hi and Welcome to XYplorer,

Say you want to compare two files, A.txt and B.txt.
1. Select A.txt and use keyboard shortcut ctrl+p
2. Select B.txt and go to menu item "Edit > Compare" and click "Compare current file with ....".

Okay, here's another way:
1. Copy A.txt to the clipboard (usually done with Ctrl+C).
2. Select B.txt and go to menu item "Edit > Compare" and click "Compare current file with ....".

Better still is to assign a keyboard shortcut (menu Tools / Customize keyboard shortcuts) to the compare command, e.g. Ctrl+Shift+Alt+C. Then it's:
1. Ctrl+C on A.txt
2. Ctrl+Shift+Alt+C on B.txt

altidude · Post by **altidude** » 02 Jul 2008 22:21

Sorry, but that doesn't sound much like Quick File Compare described on the what's new in 7.30 page here http://www.xyplorer.com/release_7.30.htm .

Where's that single click file compare?

Not the end of the world, actually. It would just be nice to have that single click. I do a lot of text file compares and I use a tool included with my text editor to do that. I simply select both files in XY, open with my text editor then do the compare. It's easy enough, I just like the idea of a one click compare in XY so I can save the 20 seconds it takes to do the same thing with my text editor.

Post by **admin** » 02 Jul 2008 22:39

altidude wrote:Sorry, but that doesn't sound much like Quick File Compare described on the what's new in 7.30 page here http://www.xyplorer.com/release_7.30.htm .

Where's that single click file compare?

Well, single click on that "Compare..." menu item, or single key combination. I don't see a way to make it "singler"...

Comparison means you need to specify two files to compare them. Once the first file is on the clipboard, you can compare it to any other file with a single click.

But I assume you are thinking of having two files selected in one list and compare them?

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 02 Jul 2008 22:56

admin wrote:But I assume you are thinking of having two files selected in one list and compare them?

Based on what he wrote in other post, and from XY site description, one would definitely get that impression...

I'm wondering whether "single-click" is a bit too compact, as we've discussed before, since even a CKS using Cntl+whatever is two clicks to most people.

Post by **admin** » 02 Jul 2008 23:19

j_c_hallgren wrote:
admin wrote:But I assume you are thinking of having two files selected in one list and compare them?
Based on what he wrote in other post, and from XY site description, one would definitely get that impression...

I'm wondering whether "single-click" is a bit too compact, as we've discussed before, since even a CKS using Cntl+whatever is two clicks to most people.

Click is mouse, Press is key.

If you want to get picky, then you have moving the mouse, pointing it to the final target, and move the finger down and then up again. Or moving the hand over the keyboard, spreading the fingers in certain angles, then moving them down in a certain sequence on certain keys, and up again.

For me "single-click" is a common way to mean "single gesture", "single action" as opposed to a sequence of actions.

Concerning Compare, I admit "single-click" is maybe an optimistic way to talk. Logically, to set up a comparison you have to select two items and that can't be done with less than two gestures normally (unless they are adjacent and you can mouse-drag-select them both). So more correct would be to call it "minimal-number-of-clicks" -- but how does that sound?

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 02 Jul 2008 23:32

admin wrote:Click is mouse, Press is key.

Ok! True! But it was just an similar example...

admin wrote:So more correct would be to call it "minimal-number-of-clicks" -- but how does that sound?

I think so...
"Check out with a single click whether two files are same or different." becomes
"Check out with a minimal number of clicks whether two files are same or different. ", right? That would quite accurately describe it and not be false/misleading in any way that I can see...and still gives impression that it's quick and easy to do.

You might also consider "with a few clicks"...

Post by **admin** » 03 Jul 2008 00:37

j_c_hallgren wrote:
admin wrote:Click is mouse, Press is key.
Ok! True! But it was just an similar example...
admin wrote:So more correct would be to call it "minimal-number-of-clicks" -- but how does that sound?
I think so...
"Check out with a single click whether two files are same or different." becomes
"Check out with a minimal number of clicks whether two files are same or different. ", right? That would quite accurately describe it and not be false/misleading in any way that I can see...and still gives impression that it's quick and easy to do.

You might also consider "with a few clicks"...

I changed it to "Quickly determine whether two files are same or different."

graham · Post by **graham** » 03 Jul 2008 00:48

You use the clip board for one file and then select the other. It seems to me that that the user should not have to copy to the clip board but select a file and then select another file from same list or another tab and do the compare via the menu edit . The point I am making is that the user should not need to copy the first program since it is focussed as is the second. The copy to CB be done within XY as an internal process.

Post by **serendipity** » 03 Jul 2008 01:04

For time being you can use this script. Select two files and start this.

Code: Select all

  //Focus list
 focus; 
 //Copy files to clipboard 
 #101; 
 //Locate <crlf> to separate the paths in clipboard 
 strpos $length, <clipboard>, <crlf>; 
 //Extract file-1 from string 
 substr $a, <clipboard>, 0, $length;
 //Extract file-2 from string 
 substr $b, <clipboard>, $length+1; 
 //This is necessary to remove crlf 
 substr $b, $b, 2; 
 //Copy file-2 to clipboard 
 copytext $b; 
 //Go to file-1 
 goto $a;
 //Focus list 
 focus; 
 //Compare files
  #226;

Post by **admin** » 03 Jul 2008 09:17

graham wrote:You use the clip board for one file and then select the other. It seems to me that that the user should not have to copy to the clip board but select a file and then select another file from same list or another tab and do the compare via the menu edit.

Good idea. Added!

jacky · Post by **jacky** » 03 Jul 2008 11:32

admin wrote:Well, single click on that "Compare..." menu item, or single key combination. I don't see a way to make it "singler"...

For the sake of it : To me single-click does NOT apply to going all the way to Edit|Compare, single click means you click once it it happens, not it shows a menu you gotta browse around and click some more.

That said, it is a one-click deal if you put an item on your Catalog with "::#226;" Just one click, and XY will tell you whether files are identical or not. That's a one-click operation, so Don was right.

It might not be there by default, but I don't think that's important : XY allows the user to put stuff on his Catalog, assign KS, and in the future on his Toolbar with CTB, so it provides the means to make about everything a one-click or one-KS operation, really

graham · Post by **graham** » 03 Jul 2008 13:53

admin wrote:

Good idea. Added!

You don't waste time do you? Whilst I thought it a better approach I also thought it might be a pain to code or slow things down. Just shows how difficult it is to understand how XY is designed when wishing changes anyway I must say that it I like the 'auto compare' - elegant!